KeithDar es Salaam, Tanzania
Dar es Salaam is the former capitol of Tanzania.
Don’t forget your visa,
The visa is required on entry, you can apply online, e-visa Tanzania, a simple process and $50,
You will need to print off a hard copy, to produce at the airport.
Having met a lovely couple, who have lived in Dar for 20 years, they assured us there was not a whole lot to see and do, certainly no bucket list qualifiers.
Its a busy, bustling city with huge development projects ongoing, obviously the port plays a huge part in this expanding population, and economy, certainly the modern apartment blocks next to the hotel were impressive.
We did venture out in order to exchange some cash, however after a ten minute stroll around the block i resembled frosty the snowman in August, it was unbelievably hot and humid.
Harbour view suites,
On arrival, we were met by the driver from the hotel, a very nice lad, who explained that the roads were very busy, as people were still making there way into town for work (09.30).
Having been to Cairo, and experienced the roads and driving there, we were not surprised to find the similar traffic chaos here, some significant road works and upgrades were taking place. The hotel has its own car park which was directly linked, so a short stroll and a lift ride and we were at reception.
The accommodation was good, our room was spacious, clean, with a large bathroom, fridge and a safe for valuables. The outdoor pool and gym were located next to the bar and restaurant, and situated on the ground floor were shops and casino, outside we were a kidney stones throw from the harbour.
Harbour view suites restaurant
The view was indeed amazing from the restaurant bar, the only spoiler, was the large modern apartment block, recently built alongside.
For convenience, we decided to eat here on the first night, the prices seemed reasonable and the menu had enough choice to whet our palettes.
We decided on the fish platter for 2, a large plate of mixed seafood, was presented to us after a bit of an extended wait, it consisted of lobster, queen prawns, calamari, and fried fish, the content was excellent, but let down by being a little chewy having been cooked a little too long.
The accompaniments were excellent, these included a chefs salad & masala chips.
The Grand, restaurant within the ground floor shopping mall.
Located in the small shopping mall, directly underneath the hotel, having used this restaurant for lunchtime drinks, and garlic bread, we decided to try it for our second night.
Prawn & steak combo, and a T bone steak were ordered, with extra garlic sauce and Greek salad.
All came perfectly cooked, waiting time minimal, and service excellent, a good choice, slightly more expensive but this reflected in the overall experience.
Arusha
A short flight, from Dar es Salaam, again met at the “airport” by the hotel driver, don’t expect too much by way of transport, think our guys car was ready for the scrap heap.
It was lashing down on the way to the hotel, the roads were completely awash and a torrent flowed in the gullies either side, you could easily get washed away we arrived at the hotel and decided not to venture out due to the conditions.
Arusha is quite a big town with a large population, however not much in the way of tourism especially on the outskirts, we didn’t see any local bars/cafes/restaurants. It seemed to be predominantly a feeder town for the safaris, a lot of which start and end here.
The hotel (Mc Ellys), itself was adequate, a good sized room, with private bathroom, the overall perception, is of aged and we’ll used facilities, that are well passed an upgrade.
The dining room/bar, was the only communal area, the staff here were very friendly, and hospitable, and again the homemade cooking was a delight.
Safari time, (see other post for details)
Tarangire national Park, Ngorongoro crater, Lake Manyara National Park.
The last day of the safari, was a trip to Lake Manyara National Park, about a 90 minute drive to the entrance, and another 30 minutes to the lake, followed by another 3 1/2 hours, trawling the lake area, searching for the hide and seek champions of Africa.
The time of year, and weather conditions were not conducive for animal spotting, it was very foggy, overcast and wet, so eventually we called it a day, we then had to endure a further 3-4 hour car journey to Moshi.
Moshi
After the safari, thought it would be nice to visit the island of Zanzibar, rather than taking a direct flight from Arusha, the alternative was to drive to the town of Moshi, and hopefully see Mount Kilimanjaro.
Unfortunately, the weather gods were not on our side, the largest mountain in Africa, could not be seen due to cloud, and poor visibility, but on the upside, we had a real insight into local life from the accommodation.
La Parlour
Eileen, our host, more than made up for the slightly disappointing, but adequate chalet we were staying in, her hospitality was second to none, and the home cooked food a real delight, again, there was very little to see or do in the evenings, possibly we were a little isolated, and maybe, would have been more involved, had we stayed closer to the town centre.
Zanzibar to Mombasa, Kenya
Excellent flight, only 40 minutes duration.
We stayed just outside the city, and from what we saw on our taxi, (bolt) journey, it was a good decision, the traffic was chaotic, and extremely busy, a very phrenetic atmosphere, and lots of hustle and bustle. The roads are at best drivable, and a lot of work is being done to improve them, the whole area seems generally to need a facelift.
The hotel, Cowrie shell beach apartments, was situated on Mombasa beach, a fantastic strip of coastline, stretching as far as the eye could see, again tidal with quite a large rise in water level. Everything here was idyllic, again no local bars or restaurants to explore very much confined to the hotel restaurant and bar and entertainment, which was all very acceptable.If you do want to venture out, (daytime only recommended), they have a great app called bolt, very reasonable, private car hire, uses WIFI to verify your location, you select your destination and the price is paid automatically if you register a card.
Mombasa to Nairobi SGR
Madaraka Express
This journey is definitely ticket only, and in advance, the security measures at Mombasa station are probably as vigorous as any airport. The express train that we used left at 08.30 right on time, so don’t be late, the first class coaches are a little nicer and still very inexpensive €12 approximately.
You can book in advance but you have to have a mobile number on safari com network, we managed to book through the lady on reception at the hotel.
The journey itself was very relaxing and enjoyable, the carriage was clean and the seats spacious, a drinks service was provided via a trolley, plus there is a buffet car, the food is basic but enjoyable and reasonably priced, a selection of hot and cold food
An overnight stop in Nairobi, before our flight to Dubai, once again the hotel provided a pick up service, the hotel (67 airport) was a short drive from the train terminal, and first impressions were very misleading.
We appeared to drive through, some very shady areas, reminded me of docklands that needed redevelopment, the final turn presented us with a large set of iron gates, not sure if they were designed to Keep us in, or the locals out. !!!!!!!!
We were pleasantly surprised by the accommodation, probably one of the nicer hotels, we had used in Africa, with very good facilities including two restaurants, outdoor pool, gym, pool side cafe. Our afternoon and evening here was very pleasant to say the least, and the restaurant in the evening was excellent, (staff, service and food)
Dubai
